Embodiments of the invention relate to a drapery tube that can be used to move curtains or draperies along the tube, incorporating batteries within the drapery tube and a stop for facilitating the load and unloading of the batteries.
There are many types of systems for moving, such as horizontal movement, vertical blind, curtains, and draperies. Some use a series of pulleys, cables, and belts. Others use motors mounted on one end with tracks. In such cases, the number of components adds complexity to the assembly and cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,831 (Bochenek et al.) teaches a drapery opening and closing system for draw draperies which are movable over a traverse member between an open and closed position by use of a drapery drive system. The opening and closing system has limit switches positioned to be activated when the draperies are opened and closed. A manually settable timer connected to a power source applies power at preset times to a reversible motor via a control circuit. The control circuit is comprised of a relay activated by the timer and a series connected two-section switch. Outputs of the two-section switch are connected to the reversible motor through the limit switches. When the timer is triggered at a preset time, the draperies automatically open or closes. Via the two-section switch, the draperies may be manually activated to open or close at times other than the preset times on the timer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,845 (Hirsch) teaches a window shade apparatus for an automobile or the like that may be fitted to a sun visor thereof, and in one embodiment the shade thereof may be raised and lowered through releasing of a brake system acting on the roller thereof. In another embodiment, an electrical switch may be actuated to drive a reversible electric motor in one and the other direction to raise and lower the shade of the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,941 (Sloop et al.) teaches an electrically powered window shade with selectively variable shading characteristics that is installable within a window opening for selectively blocking (by absorption or reflection), filtering and/or transmitting light through the window shade into a room for purposes of energy control and/or decoration, etc. This window shade comprises an upper roller assembly, a lower roller assembly, and an elongate flexible web wound on the upper and lower roller assemblies, with the web being longer than the spacing between the upper and lower roller assemblies. Each of the roller assemblies comprises an elongate tubular roller, bearings engageable with the end of the roller for rotatably journaling the ends of the roller with respect to the window. The web is scrolled onto and from the rollers as the latter are rotated about their respective longitudinal axes. A drive is provided for each of the rollers so as to drive the rollers in one direction or the other so as to scroll the web from one of the rollers onto the other roller. The drive comprises a gear motor having an output shaft substantially coaxial with the gear motor, and with the gear motor being received within the roller, with the output shaft being coaxial with the roller. The gear motor is fixed against rotation with respect to the frame. Further, each of the gear motors includes a torsional spring for maintaining the web taut as it is scrolled and unscrolled from one roller to the other, and while the web is stationary and to accommodate changes in rotation rates and roll diameters as the web is scrolled and unscrolled. Specifically, this torsional spring operatively connects the output shaft of each gear motor with its respective roller. The torsional spring of one of the rollers is wound in one direction (e.g., clockwise), and the other torsional spring associated with the other gear motor is wound in the other direction (e.g., counterclockwise) so that upon initial energization of one gear motor or the other, differences in rotational speed and start-up times between the gear motors will be taken
U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,582 (Forster) teaches a self-propelled roller drive unit with enclosed power source, motor(s) and transmission(s) that is coupled to external reaction load such as golf bag frame, wheelchair, industrial transport, personal transport or other drive unit. The self-propelled roller drive unit of the present invention encloses within a hollow cylinder, a complete self-energized power means—preferably a rechargeable electric battery power source, electric motor and transmission between the output shaft of the motor and the hollow roller. An external reaction load coupled to the enclosed power means adapts the drive unit to the form of a self-propelled golf bag cart, wheelchair, industrial transport, personal transport or other self-propelled drive unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,008 (Sullivan) teaches a universal motorized window blind system having a motor with an output shaft operatively attached to a mechanism for opening and closing horizontal mini blinds, and having adjustable limit switches to control the amount the blinds are opened or closed, and a hollow tube is connected at one end to the output shaft of the motor and connected at the other end to the mechanism for opening and closing the blinds. In a second embodiment a motorized system for opening and closing vertical blinds has adjustable limit switches to control the amount the blinds are opened or closed, and a wheel attached to the output shaft of the motor and the usual flexible endless loop of material for opening and closing the vertical blinds is looped around the wheel.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,714,855, 5,729,103, 5,883,480, 5,907,227, 6,060,852, 6,433,498, and 6,850,017 (Domel et al.) teach a mini-blind actuator that has a motor and a housing that holds the motor and a dc battery. The rotor of the motor is coupled to the baton of the mini-blind for rotating the baton and thereby opening or closing the slats of the mini-blind. Alternatively, the rotor is coupled to the tilt rod of the blind to rotate the tilt rod and thereby open or close the slats of the mini-blind. A control signal generator generates a control signal for completing the electrical circuit between the battery and the motor. The control signal can be generated in response to a predetermined amount of daylight or in response to a user-generated remote command signal. The actuator can be used to rotate the slats of horizontal or vertical blinds, or the sections of a pleated shade. Or, the actuator can be used to rotate the hollow rotatable tube of a roll-up shade. The battery pack is in a tube stored in the header portion of the shaded window. It is not internal to the storage tube and is mainly designed for horizontal shades.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,793,174, 5,990,646, 6,181,089, 6,259,218, and 6,369,530 (Kovach et al.) teach a wireless battery-operated window covering assembly. The window covering has a head rail in which all the components are housed. These include a battery pack, an interface module including an IR receiver and a manual switch, a processor board including control circuitry, motor, drive gear and a rotatably mounted reel on which lift cords wind and unwind a collapsible shade. The circuitry allows for dual-mode IR receiver operation and a multi-sensor polling scheme, both of which are configured to prolong battery life. Included among these sensors is a lift cord detector which gauges shade status to control the raising and lowering of the shade and a rotation sensor which, in conjunction with internal registers and counters keeps track of travel limits and shade position. These patents like the Domel patents disclose a battery pack in a tube located in the header portion of the window covering assembly but the header must be accessed or removed to service the batteries.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,017 (Toti) teaches window cover systems that include window cover material in the form of pleated panels or slats. The window cover material is suspended from a traverse track and is traversed along the track for opening and closing the window system. Arrangements for maintaining spacing and alignment of pleats or slats are provided. The alignment maintaining arrangements include traverse tapes which are substantially rigid in longitudinal and lateral directions in the plane of the tape, and are flexible in a direction perpendicular to the tape. The arrangements also include attaching the window cover material to vertical edge members and providing foldable spacer-members between adjacent edge-members. In one arrangement, a box-pleated panel of window cover fabric is suspended from a traverse track on slide-members. The slide-members are each attached to a spacer-tape at regular intervals along the spacer-tape. The spacer-tape is substantially rigid in the traverse direction and in a vertical direction perpendicular to the traverse direction. The window cover system is opened and closed by rolling and unrolling the panel and the spacer-tape around a roller located at one end of a window frame. Other arrangements include combined, tape-supported vertical slat blinds and vertical pleated draperies in which the tape(s) are supported by sprockets or wheels/pulleys.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,750 (Collet et al.) teaches a system for effecting and controlling the movement of a window covering between different positions. In particular, the present invention includes a motor coupled to a window covering by way of a drive assembly. The drive assembly includes one or more hollow shafts, a drive shaft, and a torque sensing mechanism. The drive shaft is coupled between the motor and a hollow, sliding shaft by way of the torque sensing mechanism. Rotation of the motor causes a lift cord to wind or unwind from the hollow sliding shaft wherein the frictional engagement of the lift cord against the hollow, sliding shaft causes the shaft to slide. Additionally, the present invention includes a method for detecting and responding to disturbances in force sensing devices coupled to the lift cord. The Invention may be comprised of power supplied by one or more chargeable or non-rechargeable batteries, low voltage power sources, solar power, or by an AC or DC power supply connected to the other elements of the Invention. In one embodiment, the battery power supply may be located in the headrail. In other embodiments, the battery power supply 36 may be mounted external to the head rail, by way of examples only, wall mounted or attached externally to head rail (FIG. 16).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,389,806 (Kates) teaches an electronically-controlled roll-up window shade that can easily be installed by a homeowner or general handyman. The motorized shade includes an internal power source, a motor, and a communication system to allow for remote control of the motorized shade. One or more motorized shades can be controlled singly or as a group. In one embodiment, the motorized shades are used in connection with a zoned or non-zoned HVAC system to reduce energy usage. In one embodiment, the motorized shade is configured to have a size and form-factor that conforms to a standard manually-controlled motorized shade. In one embodiment, a group controller is configured to provide thermostat information to the motorized shade. In one embodiment, the group controller communicates with a central monitoring system that coordinates operation of one or more motorized shades. In one embodiment, the internal power source of the motorized shade is recharged by a solar cell. FIG. 18 shows one embodiment of a motorized shade, with a tubular motor 303, internal batteries as the power source 350, and an electronics module 1801. The electronics module includes for example, the controller 301, the optional capacitor 306, the RF transceiver 302, and the optional RFID tag 309. FIG. 19 shows one embodiment of a motorized shade with a tubular motor 303, internal batteries as the power source 350, the electronics module 1801, and a fascia 1901. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 require either removal of the header or the fascia 1901 to service the batteries.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system to move, such as, horizontally, move vertical blinds, curtains, or draperies for example from a stored position to a deployed position, which can be motorized, as well as manually operated, and which reduces complexity compared with existing technology.